Friday, 26 December 2014

If Maps could speak.

I bought this book at its launching in 2010.It provides the history of the Ordnance
Survey in Ireland which was established in 1828 and whose early director and
inspiration was Thomas Colby. It was the Duke of Wellington and his brother the
Irish Lord Lieutenant, Lord Richard Wellesly, who were responsible for
initiating the Ordnance Survey.They set up a committee in 1824 and the Survey was established in 1828
after the committee had met and reported.(It is worth mentioning here that the Duke and his brother were strongly
in favour of Cathilic Emancipation for Britain and Ireland, a historic measure
which was eventually passed in Westminster in 1829)

Colby was a remarkable person, energetic, highly ambitious,
dominating and probably obsessional, who overcame the most extraordinary
obstacles during his long responsibility for the success of this great Ordnance
Survey.The word ordnance owes its
origin to the British army. It is a term for that part of the military which is
responsible for procuring equipment and supplies. From the beginning of the
Survey its personnel were military men. They were the sole members of the
organisation; all non-military people were excluded at least until more recent
times.Colby was particularly
concerned with planning a six inch map of Ireland which required much greater
time and investment than the one inch map which was provided to complete the
map of England.Colby was not only
interested in making maps but he was also instructed to collect information on
other aspects of the country including geology, communications, manufacture and
antiquities.

Drawings of buildings and antiquities were part of the job.

These interests were to be later extended by Larcom
who joined in 1828, shortly after the survey was established.Larcom was English but, like many
English who came to Ireland, he came to love the country and its people. He became
an excellent Irish speaker and was involved in the language, its literature and
the country’s history and place names.These interests, added to those of Colby made the Ordnance Survey not
only the finest at its time but added a huge amount of information about the
country and its people.In the
early years it was stated that many of the old antiquities and old ruins were
being gradually destroyed in Ireland as a result of depredations by farmers and
landowners.Undoubtedly Colby and
certainly Larcom were responsible for protecting many of the antiquities which
had survived until their time.

An early map of Ireland by the Greek Ptomley

The author, Richard Kirwan, was born in Waterford and
claims to have been an early enthusiast about the layout of the city and the
country roads leading to an early attachment to maps and details of the County’s
topographical features.These
enthusiasms lead to his early interest in map making and to joining the Ordnance
Survey.Because of the military
tradition of the Survey, he was obliged to join the army but, because of his
interest in map making, he was far from being enthusiastic about a military
career. He insisted therefore that he would be transferred immediately to the
Ordinance Survey for his entire career.His enthusiasm lasted his lifetime as he advanced through the ranks and
subsequently became the head of the Survey.

Bound copies of the maps by county at the Royal Irish Academy

He describes the early years of the six inch map project
which required staff to walk almost every inch of the country, often under
difficult circumstances of weather, climate, terrain, bog and wilderness.The six inch survey was completed in
less than thirty years. The survey continued with a further one inch map and at
a much later date (1888) a twenty five inch map was organised because of the
importance of identifying boundaries between lands which were being distributed
during the Land Acts and which required clear evidence of ownership. The use of
satellites is mentioned in chapters 11 and 12..On pages 73 to 80 there is information about the various map
printing processes.

The extraordinary hardships of the early surveys were
eventually to be mitigated by the use of aerial photography, organised at first
by the army air corps and later by their own planes.And today, with the availability of satellites, not only the
outline but the contours of every square yard of Ireland are made freely
available to those working in this area.

There was an early attempt to replace the Irish with
English place names. This would
have been a major undertaking in itself.In this respect it was mentioned in passing that the Catholic clergy in
Ireland were opposed to the use of the Irish language.However Larcom, the English immigrant
who learned the language, was determined to prevent English place names
becoming widespread. It was surely extraordinarythat it was an Englishman who wasso responsible for retaining this important cultural aspect of Irish history and
identity

say no more...

John O’Donovan was also to become insistent on
retaining Irish place names.O’Donovan, Eugene O’Curry and others made a huge contribution in
recording details of antiquities, old churches, castles, cromlechs, raths,
forts, ancient ruins and local traditions as a wider part of such surveys. All
those of us who have a pride in our country’shistory, culture and traditions owe a greatdeal of gratitude to those who were
responsible for our Ordnance Survey from Wellington and Wellesly down to the
many other Irish and English who made such a contribution to our country’s
history. We should be including information about this aspect of our history in
our secondary schools.

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Risteárd Mulcahy.

Reasons why...

As a doctor advising patients, I knew that cigarette smoking was the most addictive habit known to Man. At least I thought so until I tried to stop writing. I have written twelve books, and like the smokers, I used to suffer withdrawal effects if I had nothing to write. So, to keep my restlessness at bay, I began to write reviews of all the books I was reading and I found these exercises hugely educational. There are about 130 in all – so far! This blog records some of them , and a few other personal scribbles. Mistakes? There will be many, no doubt, and no doubt they will be mine. This is a very personal contribution to the literature and is in no way an academic text. Enjoy.